A Chinese military aircraft collided with a U.S. military aircraft over the South China Sea, leaving a Chinese pilot missing, after which relevant parties referred to him as a South China Sea hero.
After a US reconnaissance plane collided with a Chinese interceptor near Hainan in April 2001, Jiang Zemin used the incident to strike a new espionage agreement during his visit to Cuba, after which shipments of Chinese weapons and equipment to Cuba increased sharply.
In April 2001, the China-US EP-3 incident occurred, further highlighting the vulnerability of the People's Liberation Army and prompting China to accelerate its investment in aerospace, cyberspace, and anti-access capabilities.